December 2, 2009

So last week on Thanksgiving, I was at my family’s house and we were sitting down for our turkey dinner, which was late because Thanksgiving dinner really shouldn’t be served when it’s dark outside unless it’s the second one of the day. My mom is the type of person who doesn’t know shit about religion but clings to certain aspects for no other reason than “you’re supposed to”, which I suppose fits her right in with a good 95% of the world’s population. So when all of us are sitting at the table, she starts to say a prayer of thanks, and my dad puts his head down, too. My brother and I, on the other hand, are having no part of it. I just went ahead and kept eating, and he didn’t join in since he saw I wasn’t. My mom noticed he didn’t and was all like “why didn’t you pray?” and he’s like “Katrina didn’t either!”
Haha, she looked like she’d just been slapped in the face. Asking why I didn’t join in, that it’s Thanksgiving and you’re supposed to give thanks. To which I told her I ascribe more to Bart Simpson’s grace: “Dear God, we pay for all this food ourselves, so thanks for nothing.”

She pressed on, wondering if something had happened to me or if I’m against prayer. I told her I’m not against it but that I just believe it to be pointless, that God is going to do whatever the hell he wants regardless of what we say. She said that we should still give thanks anyway, and I was like “but if God’s going to do what he wants regardless, why do it?” Who would we be thanking? She couldn’t really come up with any suitable answers to those questions, but kept on with the whole “I can’t believe you!” charade. Whatever.

Funny how people tend to not know the difference between being against something and non-participation.

I’ve heard it suggested, and I think I sort of agree, that there isn’t much difference between praying and witchcraft. Both involve saying special words in the hopes that a supernatural being or phenomenon will perform some action.

Prayer is also a miniature form of meditation. A few years ago, I heard advice that when angry, one should pray first, and that’ll help the anger. It’s true, it would, but mostly because it’s the same basic tactic as counting back from ten, that you’ve distracted your mind for a minute or so and that calms your rage and, funnily enough, brings you back to rationality.

Of course, prayer before Thanksgiving dinner is still pointless because, as said, I don’t think God gives a shit what we do or say to him, and it’s no time for meditation because I’m fucking hungry! :doitnow: